Canterbury Bulldogs 12
Brisbane extended their impressive winning streak to seven NRL matches with a 20-12 victory over Canterbury at Suncorp Stadium on Friday.
Playing off the back of a brilliant kick and chase game and a swarming assault on Bulldog giant Jamal Idris, Brisbane remained at the head of the premiership ladder with their eight point win.
The three tries to two victory in front of an enthusiastic 30,538 crowd, consolidated Brisbane's best start to a season in almost a decade.
They won seven in a row in 2002 after opening the season with a win and a draw.
It was a big win against a genuine bogey side who had won seven of their previous nine trips to Suncorp Stadium.
Brisbane dictated field position for much of the contest with superbly placed kicks by skipper Darren Lockyer and halfback Peter Wallace which kept the Bulldogs on the back foot and trapped in the corners.
Brisbane led 8-0 before the Bulldogs reduced that to 8-6 at halftime.
Former Dragons and Roosters winger Michael Lett went from hero to villain in his debut for the Bulldogs.
After dragging the visitors back into the game with a first-half try, set up by a stunning 60 metre burst by fullback Ben Barba, Lett's brain explosion three minutes into the second half coughed up a try for Broncos winger Dale Copley.
It gave Brisbane, the best second-half defensive side in the competition, a 14-6 buffer which Canterbury never looked like reeling in.
That became 20-6 four minutes later when young fullback Gerard Beale was awarded a controversial try under the posts after Wallace lost the ball in a tackle close to the try line.
Referee Gavin Badger didn't bother going to the video and awarded the try despite frantic appeals from the Bulldogs team to take a second look.
Just when it looked like the floodgates were about to open, Barba bobbed up again to score in the 51st minute, cutting Brisbane's margin back to 20-12.
Bulldogs interchange forward Corey Payne off-loaded in a tackle to Barba who dived full length over the try line for his ninth try in eight games.
Brisbane's defence then went to work, shutting down the Dogs for a well deserved victory.
- AAP
